We’ve all heard the old joke: Nothing can be certified in aviation until the paperwork weighs as least as much as the airplane or product. Why is the FAA so tough on certification, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was asked during a visit to AirVenture.
“We’ve actually proven to be quite flexible,” he said, pointing to the Light Sport Aircraft category, in which aircraft meet ASTM standards, creating a “fast track” to certification.
“In the more complex areas, we hope people appreciate that we’re very deliberate on purpose,” he said. “We can’t think something works — we have to know it works. People’s lives depend on it.”
